Tag: gaijin

I started going to a gym to try to get into shape. To be honest, I was kind of undecided ...

Every gaijin who speaks some Japanese knows the agony of accidentally using the wrong word of nihongo at an embarrassing ...

I like to write about my impressions of the Japanese language and how it differs from English, since language is ...

Still, there are some big challenges ahead for Japan, not the least of which is rebuilding its tourism industry. After ...

When new Japanese employees come to work at J-List it's an interesting learning experience for them. First of all, they're ...

It's been interesting being back in San Diego for this brief trip before we return to Japan on Sunday. Part ...

When dealing with Japan, it's natural to encounter some "WTF" moments, like seeing a strawberry & whipped cream sandwich for ...

Japan's crisis continues, though things are slowly coming under control. As calm returns and companies work hard to normalize the ...

You've been in Japan too long when, while watching the morning "wide show" on TV, you wonder if the phrase ...

I happened to catch an article about some corruption scandals cropping up in India recently, which are causing some big ...

The most common word for "foreigner" in Japanese is gaijin, a term that's used to describe Westerners who are obviously ...

Kokusai kekkon (international marriage) is a popular option for Japanese who want to marry someone from outside their home country, ...

One impression foreigners get when they come to Japan is how nice and polite most Japanese people are, always saying ...

One of the more unique snacks in Japan is taiyaki, essentially a fish-shaped cake made with pancake batter and containing ...

Over the weekend we went to our favorite Indian restaurant for curry, tandoori chicken and that heavenly naan bread that ...

One impression of the Japanese language I got soon after arriving here was one of "duality," and it seemed that ...

As with any language, Japanese has certain weirdness built into it. There are, of course, words for occupations which have ...

Over the weekend I went down to Tokyo to meet with a friend I hadn't seen in a while. My ...

Right now it's juken (test) season in Japan, when hundreds of thousands of students take the entrance exams they've spent ...

One unexpected aspect of expat life in Japan is making friends with gaijin -- the word the Japanese use for ...

The other day I called the hotel I usually stay at whenever I go to Tokyo -- Hotel Mets Shibuya, ...

Last time I wrote about ways that U.S. companies use the imagery of America to sell products in Japan, sometimes ...

Certain unique aspects of the Japanese people stand out to foreigners who come here to live, like their tendency to ...

Late night TV in Japan is always fun. One show I like to catch sometimes is called Arita and MMatsuko ...